Wicca
Wicca is a neo-pagan religion that was created by the New Forest Coven, Gerald Gardner, and to a lesser extent Doreen Valiente. In its original form in the New Forest Coven, the word "wica" was a plural term that applied to the members of the coven, and was not a term used to denote the religion or practices. It wasn't until 1959, with the publication of Gerald Gardner's book The Meaning of Witchcraft, that the term "wicca" became popularized, and shortly thereafter it started to be used as the name of the religion, rather than its practitioners. Practitioners of Wicca are now called "wiccans". Initiations As a mystery tradition practice, initiation is a key value of Wicca. Someone becomes wiccan through experiencing an initiation, and later elevations promote a practitioner within the priesthood. The fertility-cult nature of wiccan practice is evident in many aspects of their rituals, and combines with the mystery tradition aspect of their practice in initiation being performed upon men by women and upon women by men. An exception to this rule is that a man may initiate his son and a woman may initiate her daughter, which clearly reflects fertility in a different way (by reflecting that fact of procreation rather, in initiating their own offspring, rather than reflecting the means of procreation in being cross-gender). Most wiccan groups claim an initiatory lineage to the New Forest Coven in southern England. Beliefs Goddess and God Wiccans believe in a moon goddess and a horned male god. In the original Gardnerian Wicca, the goddess is Aradia (a character from the 1899 book Aradia) and the horned male god is Cernunnos (a celtic pagan deity). In Alexandrian Wicca, Aradia is replaced with Cerridwen (a mythological witch, who was never considered a deity prior to Wicca). The Gardnerian and Alexandrian books of shadows (the original books that describe the religion of Wicca) state that wiccans should worship the gods. However, some wiccans do not worship the gods, but rather describe their relationship with the gods as "working with" him/her. Reincarnation Wiccans believe in reincarnation. The recitations in various wiccan rituals state that after death, people become reborn into new bodies. Rules The Wiccan Laws The wiccan laws are various rules (they are not actual laws, as they are not enforced by a government) that are written in the Gardnerian and Alexandrian books of shadows, and in Ye Bok of ye Art Magical which preceded them. Wiccans are expected to follow these rules to some extent, but some of the rules are anachronistic, applying to the time when witches were hunted, interrogated, tortured, and killed, or at least considered criminal, so some of such rules are disregarded by most wiccans. The vast majority of the wiccan laws were written by Gerald Gardner, and some of them were written by Alex Sanders. The wiccan laws written by Gerald Gardner contain the precursor to the wiccan rede. The Wiccan Rede The central ethical principle of Wicca is the wiccan rede. The wiccan rede is: "if it harms none, do what you will". For more information, see the article wiccan rede. Diet Wicca does not have any explicit dietary restrictions, but many wiccans are vegetarians as a result of applying the wiccan rede to animals. Practices Rituals Rituals play a very important role in the beliefs of wiccans, as it is closely tied to the mystery aspects of the religion. The wiccan rituals include the initiation and elevation rituals, the sabbat rituals, and the esbat rituals. Ritual Tools Ritual tools are a major aspect of wiccan rituals. Information on this subject is at the article ritual tools. Magic Although some self-identified wiccans claim not to practice magic, those of a more traditional background and training will argue against this as it has traditionally been seen as a fundamental aspect of practice and necessary for development. Sabbats Wiccans celebrate 8 holy festivals, called sabbats, throughout the year. Different sects may emphasize certain aspects of these celebrations depending upon which pantheon of gods and goddesses they work with. Esbats In addition to the sabbats, there are group rituals called esbats, which may be done on any day, but are preferentially done during a full moon, in which case they are called 'full moon esbats'. Dress Wiccans are permitted to wear any form of clothing, but for ritual practice it is important to have robes worn only for this occasion as part of the shift into a magical state. It is also more traditional for rituals to be performed without clothing, known as being skyclad, which has an important symbolic meaning and other spiritual benefits when working within a coven. Elements taken from other sources Many of the elements of Wicca are taken from various other sources. Those sources are Freemasonry, the Key of Solomon, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley, BDSM practices, the two witch-related books by Margaret Murray (The Witch Cult in Western Europe and The God of the Witches), the book Aradia by Charles Leland, The Druid Order, and a poem by Rudyard Kipling. Elements taken from Margaret Murray's books and Aradia The goddess name Aradia was taken from the aforementioned book of the same name. The usage of the male god name Cernunnos was taken from chapter 1 of the book The God of the Witches. Gerald Gardner's book High Magic's Aid states that the witches worshipped the horned male god Janicot (which is an alleged basque deity). The god name Janicot was likewise taken from chapter 1 of The God of the Witches. The words 'sabbat' and 'esbat' were taken from The Witch Cult in Western Europe. 'Sabbat' is the french spelling of 'sabbath'. The wiccan practice of 'cakes and wine' is loosely based upon the book Aradia, which states that the witches drank wine, and ate cakes made of meal, honey, and salt that were shaped like crescent moons. Elements taken from The Druid Order and Rudyard Kipling One of the four original wiccan sabbat rituals, May Eve, incorporates the recitation of part of one of Rudyard Kipling's poems, A Tree Song. Four of the eight wiccan sabbats are the two solstice sabbats and the two equinox sabbats. Those four sabbats are taken from The Druid Order. Gardner added those four sabbats to the four other sabbats in the 1950s, after members of his coven asked him to add more sabbat rituals, so that there is less time between them. The use of a cauldron in 3 of the 4 solstice and equinox sabbats was likewise taken from The Druid Order. Elements taken from the Key of Solomon The black-handled knife, the word 'athame', and the white-handled knife were taken from the Key of Solomon. The word 'bolline' (which came to refer to the white-handled knife) was taken from part of a book by A.E. Waite that was about the Key of Solomon. Most of the other eight Gardnerian ritual tools, all except the scourge, are likewise taken from the Key of Solomon. The wiccan circle, with its three concentric rings, and casting by a sword or black-handled knife, is also taken from the Key of Solomon. The wiccan practice of using a bowl of water, a bowl of salt, consecrating both of them, and putting the salt into the water, was also taken from the Key of Solomon. Elements taken from other sources The use of the word 'magus' was taken from the writings of Aleister Crowley. The use of a scourge was also taken from the writings of Aleister Crowley. Crowley in turn got the general idea of using a scourge from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, to which he belonged. The scourging of the butt in the wiccan initiation and elevation rituals was taken from Crowley's book Liber 671. The use of knells on a bell in the 1st-degree initiation ritual and the 2nd-degree elevation ritual was likewise taken from Liber 671. The three-degree system of advancement and initiation was taken from Freemasonry. The use of eight objects that are called 'tools' is taken from english Freemasonry, though Freemasonry uses actual tools, whereas in Wicca the word 'tools' is a misnomer.